Infrared ray butter softener



Ap 1952 E. F. HUBACKER INFRARED RAY BUTTER SOFTENER Filed April 26, 1945LINE Patented Apr. 22, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE INFRARED RAYBUTTER SOFTENER Application April 26, 1945, Serial No. 590,398

Claims.

The present invention relates to means for softening butter in anautomatically operated refrigerator or other appliance. The improvementshave particular reference to an arrangement in an electric refrigeratorcabinet whereby the rays from a suitable lamp or the like are utilizedto maintain the butter in a condition that permits it to be readilyspread upon bread or other comestibles.

It is an object of this invention to provide an arrangement that isautomatically operated to direct sufficient heat to the butter forraising the temperature thereof so that the butter will be softened. Asis well known, when the food compartment of the refrigerator is at a lowtempera ture the butter becomes too film or solid for ordinary domesticuses. The present invention aims to automatically overcome this inherentcondition.

Another object hereof is to provide a butter softener that is operatedat a low cost, and which is simple in construction thereby adapting itfor installation in a refrigerator cabinet without materially increasingthe manufacturing cost of the refrigerator.

Still another object is to providean arrangement of the charactercontemplated herein that embodies an infra-red lamp which is strongenough so that its rays will be directed to the butter to warm or softenit under predetermined temperature conditions. The rays from theinfra-red lamp have a destructive effect upon germs and the like andtherefore the use of such lamp produces a highly sanitary condition inthe refrigerator cabinet especially in the coolant air in the vicinityof the butter thus tending to preserve its freshness.

The present improvements contemplate the use of electric conductors forthe lamp that are connected across the contacts or switch elements inthe electric motor circuit, such circuit being thermostaticallycontrolled to regulate the tem perature in the food compartment of arefrigerator cabinet. By reason of this arrangement it is not necessaryto provide a special thermostat for the butter softener assembly sincethe temperature control thermostat performs this function.

invention contemplate-d herein will be apparent to persons skilled inthe art after the construction and operation of the butter softeneris'understood from the within description. It is preferred to accomplishthe numerous objects of this inven tion in substantially the mannerhereinafter fully Additional objects, aims and advantages of thedescribed and as more particularly pointed out in the claims. Referenceis now made to the accompanying drawings that form a part of thisspecification, wherein:

Fig. l is a front elevation of an electrically operated refrigeratorcabinet with the door broken away to show the present improvements inthe food compartment; and

Fig. 2 is a diagram of the electric circuit and other instrumentalitiesof the improvements.

Fig. 3 is a plan of a modification.

The drawings are to be understood as being more or less of a schematiccharacter for the purpose of disclosing typical or preferred em bodimentof the improvements contemplated herein, and in these drawings likereference characters identify the same parts in the different views. 4

The refrigerator cabinet 5 comprises a food compartment 6 having shelves1, and in the upper portion of this compartment there is a chamber 8containing the refrigerating unit with coils 9 through which therefrigerant or coolant agent is circulated by pipes i!) and H leadingfrom a compressor l2 in the bottom of the cabinet. An electric motor 13drives the compressor l2 and the electric current through this motor iscontrolled by a thermostat 14 within the cabinet preferably in the foodcompartment. This thermostat, which by way of example may be of thebi-metallic type, is adjustable and is effective to open and close anelectric switch [5 in the motor circuit whenever its indicator armreaches the predetermined temperatures at which the thermostat has beenset.

As shown, the refrigerant or coolant chamber 8 is at one side of thefood compartment, thus providing a reduced region alongside said chamher for shelves la, of shorter width than those beneath the coolantchamber, for receiving small articles of food or dishes such as thosecontaining butter, lard and the like. Above the upper shelf la the topwall or ceilin of the compartment-is provided with a reveal or recess IEto receive an electric lamp ll preferably of the infra-red type. Thelamp is arranged so that the rays thereof are directed down toward theupper shelf. The rays from this lamp are strong enough'to raise thetemperature of the butter 10 to 20 above the temperature within the foodcompartment andthus effect a softening of the butter. It is preferred,as seen in Fig. l, to arrange the reveal and the lamp in suchposition'that the butter or comestible (indicated as B) may be placed inthe direct path of the rays emitted from the lamp.

In the diagram (Fig. 2), the conductors l8 and i9 comprising theelectric circuit through the motor l3 are interrupted by the switch i5that is opened and closed by means of a movable member of the thermostat[4 that is set for predetermining the limits of the temperature rangewithin the food compartment. The circuit for the lamp l'l includesconductors l8 and I9 comprising a continuous electric circuit which hasin it the thermostatically controlled switch IS. The lamp H or the likeis thus connected directly across the thermostat contacts so that whenthe thermostat is opened the electric circuit is through the motor andthen through the lamp. When thermostat l4 (indicated in dotted lines inthe diagram) is closed the resistance through the contacts is so lowthat very little current passes through the softener device. Since theresistance of the lamp or the like is extremely high and the amount ofcurrent passing through it is very small this arrangement provides avery practical and satisfactory hook-up.

t is preferred to utilize therays of a lamp for softening butter andlike comestibles in a refrigerator. This function may be accomplished byother temperature raising means although a lamp of the infra-red type ispreferable because of its germicidal properties. An example of suchdevice may comprise an electric resistance coil 22 imbedded or molded inan insulating plate 23 of thermosetting material. Thi plate may beseparate from a shelf member so" that it may be placed wherever desired,or it may comprise a part of a special shelf member 2 3. In eitherinstance the terminals of the resistance coil are electrically connectedby conductors i8 and I9 through the thermostat i i to be controlledthere'- by.

It will be seen that, during operation of the refrigerant unit 8 and therunning of the motor and compressor, the heat radiating m mber of thesoftener is inactive and there is no heating effect upon the butter Buntil the food compartment has been lowered to the desired coolingtemperature, whereupon the thermostat will opcrate to cut out the motorand cut in the butter softener. The advantage of this particular hookupresides in the fact that heat is provided for softening the butter onlyduring the period of low cabinet temperature or low running time. Whenthe room temperature rises, the temperature in the cabinet rises andless heat is required during this period to warm the butter to asoftening temperature. As the room temperature rises the running time ofthe motor and the compressor increases so that the infra-red lamp orheating element is on for a smaller percentage of the time. Thearrangement described is there'- fore quite economical to operate andfurthermore it eliminates the use of a second thermostat that would beespecially designed separately adjusted to control the current foroperating the butter softener device.

It is conceivable that a suitable electric illuminating lamp 25 may beintroduced in the cabinet in conjunction with the infra-red lamp ll orthe electric coil 22. Such introduced lamp would effect an illuminationof the food compartment 6 and would be controlled by switch means 26operatedby the opening and closing of the cabinet door.

While this invention has been described in detail "in its presentpreferred form or embodiment, it will be apparent to persons skilled inthe art, after understanding the improvements, that 4 various changesand modifications may be made therein without departing from the spiritor scope thereof. It is aimed in the appended claims to cover all suchchanges and modifications.

I claim:

1. In a refrigerator cabinet having a cooling chamber supplied withcoolant fluid from a motordriven compressor, and having conductorsforming an electric circuit through the motor, which circuit iscontrolled by a thermo-responsive switch within the cabinet, theimprovement of a butter softener comprising an electrical lamp the raysfrom which are adapted to heat an object upon which they impinge, saidlamp positioned in close proximity to a shelf in the cabinet; andelectric conductors connected to the spaced points of the switch, thearrangement being such that the thermo-responsive switch controls theelectric current to the motor-driven compressor and the butter softenerlamp.

2. In a refrigerator cabinet provided with a cooling chamber that issupplied with coolant fluid by an electric motor driven compressor; alamp in said cabinet adapted to emit heat rays; means for supplyingelectric current to the motor to drive said compressor; means forsupplying electric current'to said lamp; and a thermo-sensitive devicecoacting with both said means for rendering one means ineffective duringthe operation of the other means.

3. In a refrigerator cabinet provided with a chamber supplied withcoolant fluid from a compressor driven by an electric motor; a food compartment in which said chamber is located; and

a butter softener arrangement in said cabinet comprising a reveal in awall of said compartment; an infra-red lamp in said reveal to emit itsrays to impinge upon the butter, thereby Warming the butter to asoftened condition; means for supplying electric current to the motorand lamp; and a thermo-responsive switch controlling said means forpredetermining the effective operation of said motor and lamp.

4. In a refrigerator comprising a cooling compartment havingelectrically operated means for cooling the same; and thermo-electricmeans including an electric motor circuit having a makeand-break devicefor controlling said cooling means, the improvement of an arrangement.for softening butter and like substances in said cool ing compartment,comprising an electric lamp adjacent the substance to be softened, therays from said lamp being adapted to impinge upon the substance forraising the temperature thereof above the compartment temperature, saidlamp characterized by its germicidal properties; and conductors forsupplying electric current from said motor circuit to said lamp, saidconductors being responsive to the make-and-break device actuated bysaid thermo-electric means for changing the amount of the electriccurrent through said conductors and lamp, the arrangement being suchthat the lamp is ineffective when said electric motor circuit is closedand vice versa.

5. In a refrigerator cabinet having a food compartment-supplied withcoolant fluid by an electric motor driven compressor, and having a doorclosing an access opening to said compartment; an infra-red lamp in saidcompartment adapted to emit heat rays when electrically charged; meansforsupp'lyirig electric current to said infrared lamp, and also to themotor to drive said compressor; a thermo-respons'ive device forrendering said infra-red lamp effective when said 5 6 motor is inactive;an electric illuminating lamp UNITED STATES PATENTS in said compartment;and means responsive to the opening and closing of the cabinet door forNumber Name Date controlling said illuminating lamp. 1,913,433 P June1933 5 333%? 2% 1% i333 n erson ec. EARL HUBACKER' 2,245,837 StoddardJune 17, 1941 REFERENCES CITED 2,257,801 Hull Oct. 7, 1941 2,276,850Lemmers Mar. 17, 1942 The following references are of record in the 10231L446 Knight Feb 16 1943 file of this patent:

2,313,390 Newton Mar. 9, 1943

